Dear Excellent Dealey Families,

As we start 2022 with continued concerns about COVID leading us to have to pivot and flex, I wanted to share an excerpt from a poem called “New Day’s Lyric” written by Amanda Gorman. She wrote this poem to “celebrate the new year and honor the hurt and the humanity of the last one." The stanza below resonated with me:

“This hope is our door, our portal.

Even if we never get back to normal,

Someday we can venture beyond it,

To leave the known and take the first steps.

So let us not return to what was normal,

But reach toward what is next.”

I am so grateful to be reaching towards what is next with such an exemplary, committed and loving group of people. Change is so difficult, but in our current context, it seems that change is the only thing that we can count on. The Dealey community has shown tremendous capacity to reach forward in the face of change, and this capacity has served us so well in taking care of our children and each other.

We truly are stronger together!

As Gorman concludes:

“For wherever we come together,

We will forever overcome.”

Dragons breathe fire!

Much love,

Ms. Wing

January 7, 2022

COVID Testing - The district has supplied us with 100 rapid tests for students/staff who become symptomatic on campus, or are requiring testing to return from quarantine due to exposure. They also expire at the end of the month. Please do not send your sick child to school with the intention of getting tested. I understand that tests are difficult to find right now, but we cannot risk exposure to others. I will still recommend obtaining a PCR, as they are far more accurate than rapid tests. I will only accept test results that are lab confirmed (no at home tests).

Please email all test results. If your student has a pending PCR please do not send them to school.

Click the link below to consent your student for rapid testing, you will only have to do this once. https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent/

Access Code: DEALEY

Policies and Guidelines - The district has amended policies regarding quarantine and isolation. The quarantine time for positive cases as well as close contact (unvaccinated) is now 5 days returning to campus on day 6 as long as the student is asymptomatic and fever free for 24 hours. Students do not need a negative test to return to school.

Health Screenings are on hold for the foreseeable future. Please encourage your children to continue to practice quality hand hygiene, proper mask wearing, and social distancing. When emailing COVID vaccine updates, please attach a copy of your child’s COVID vaccine card. It is your responsibility to inform teachers if your child is out due to quarantine or isolation. Thank you to all of the families who have shown encouragement, grace, and support during this insane first week back at school. I appreciate it so much.

Donation Shoe Drive

On Wednesday January 12, stop at the PK/K benches at morning carpool to make your shoe donation. Every bag of shoes donated earns one donut AND an entry into our Classroom Competition for a delicious food party (food TBD)*! So clean out your closets, ask your friends and neighbors to help get theirs off their hands, and swing by for a sweet treat you can really feel good about.

January 11

SBDM @ 5:00

PTA @ 6:00

Vaccine Gift Cards for Students

High demand for gift cards and shipping delays during the holiday season, has created an unforeseen delay in distributing the vaccine incentive gift cards to students who have submitted their COVID vaccine documentation. We appreciate your patience as we work to expedite as much as possible. We anticipate that we will have these within the next 10 business days. A notification has been sent to parents also.

SBDM

Please see list of updates from SBDM SBDM Principal’s Report

Please follow this link to see who to call for what

All Community Dates (George Bannerman Dealey) are here

January 11 SBDM Meeting @ 5 PTA Meeting @ 6

January 12 Shoe Donations during morning carpool

January 17 MLK Day - No school

January 24 - 27 Parent-teacher Conferences via Zoom

January 24 Report Cards Issued

Ms. Brashear, Ms. Colon and Ms. Gurtowski for filling in EVERYWHERE this week

Ms. Medrano and Ms. Villegas for all of the extra time and work to get us ready for Magnet Assessments

Ms. Wekewa for helping in classrooms and with testing

All of the staff/teachers that worked Primary Magnet Assessments on Saturday- you are amazing!

Ms. Emery and Ms. Meinhardt for the MAP testing coordination for MS Math

Ms. Smith and Ms. Singer for MAP testing coordination for MS ELAR

Ms. Chandler, Ms. Cole and Ms. Simmons for ALL of the testing help

Ms. Knoll for exemplary logistics and training for Magnet Assessment

Ms. Grant for useful and impactful help in our 4-6 study

Ms. Livingston for all of her work in coordination of the group working on 4-6

Nurse Dunlap for helping to keep us safe and responding so carefully to Covid

From the Community

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